In the late 1700s, English aristocrats developed a fondness for the city of Nice, spending their winters along the shore. During the harsh winter of 1820, English visitors found themselves surrounded by a wave of beggars. The solution? Build a walkway along the seashore—funded by the Anglican Church. A brilliant idea that benefited everyone.

The city leaders took the plan further, greatly expanding its scope. After Nice was annexed by France in 1860, the “Promenade Path” became known as the English Promenade. Today, locals simply call it La Prom, and it remains a favourite spot for walkers, families, skateboarders, and cyclists.

The Promenade stretches for about four miles around the Bay of Angels”. On the seaside, private and public beaches stand side by side, often crowded during summer months. Don’t be surprised if you have to share your patch of sand. Above the coastline, in the hills of Nice, former aristocratic villas have been transformed into grand hotels and museums.

Tip:
Restaurants along the seafront tend to be more expensive. For a more authentic experience, try the traditional eateries a little farther inland. One of the most vibrant stretches lies between Boulevard Gambetta and the Old Town, where you’ll find the grand Belle Époque hotels, elegant residences, and plenty to explore.

Masséna Square, named in the honour of André Masséna, a Marshal of France during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, was designed by Joseph Vernier in 1844. It is spacious and bordered by ochre-coloured Italianate buildings, palm trees, and stone pines.

It is a popular venue for concerts, public events, and festivals. The Carnival Parade, Bastille Day celebrations, and other traditional festivities are often held here. One of the square’s most distinctive features is the Open Sky Museum — seven sculpted Buddhist figures perched on high stilts above the square. At night, they glow in shifting colours, adding a dreamlike atmosphere.

The Open Sky Museum also includes a display of blue-green “fairy” lights arranged in a kind of poetic Morse code. Opposite the lights stands “Nine Oblique Lines”, a monumental sculpture created to mark the 150th anniversary of Nice’s annexation to France. Nearby, in the Sun Fountain, the god Apollo stands proudly, watching over the city — and the city, in turn, seems to watch him.

Beside the square lies the Paillon Promenade, a lush green park lined with palms and flowering shrubs. Its Mirror Fountain features jets of water that spray in rhythmic bursts from the ground, creating reflections on a polished stone base. Children — and often adults — delight in running through the misty water clouds.

Facing the Paillon Promenade is the Albert I Garden, a public park dating back to the 1880s. Stretching from Masséna Square toward the English Promenade and Old Nice, it hosts summer festivals, including the renowned Nice Jazz Festival. With its fountains, exotic flowers, and shaded paths, it offers a calm, green retreat.

The charming square known as the Courthouse Square lies quietly yet prominently between the bustling pedestrian lanes and the inviting cafés of the city. Its name is derived from the Courthouse of Nice, which has stood since the early 1890s overlooking the square. Built between 1890 and 1892, this neoclassical-style edifice features an imposing façade and broad staircase that contribute significantly to the character of the space.

The surrounding setting is also noteworthy: the square is flanked by restaurant terraces and lies just a short stroll from the picturesque flower and produce market at Cours Saleya as well as the elegant shopping zone along Avenue Jean Médecin. One of the special features of the square is its Saturday market. On the first and third Saturdays of each month, you’ll find stalls selling vintage books, rare editions, art prints and postcards.

From a tourist's perspective, the square works well as a strategic “breather” between major sights. The square’s colourful pavement, coupled with the neoclassical architecture of the court building, make for a relaxed yet scenic stop.

A trip to Nice absolutely must include a stroll around the Cours Saleya Markets. This lively stretch once served as the city’s main square, but today it’s an open-air market bursting with colour, fragrance, and energy. The sights, sounds, smells, and friendly bustle make it one of the highlights of any visit.

Every Monday morning, the area transforms into an antique market where you can hunt for the perfect piece of Art Deco design or a one-of-a-kind souvenir. From Tuesday through Sunday, the market is devoted to flowers and seasonal produce. The selection changes with the time of year, but everything sold here is fresh and full of Mediterranean flavour.

If your accommodation includes a kitchen, don’t miss the fresh fish stalls — the taste of fish caught just hours before is incomparable, especially when paired with local herbs, bread, and wine.

During summer evenings, the Cours Saleya becomes a craft market. You can shop for flowers, fruit, cheese, olives, and bread in the morning, then return after sunset to browse handmade jewellery, art, and souvenirs. The surrounding cafés and restaurants make it easy to linger — the perfect way to spend a summer day in Nice.

For early birds, this market is a delight. Bring reusable bags for your purchases, along with small bills and coins — the vendors are busy and often prefer quick transactions.

Tip: Be there around noon. You’ll hear the daily cannon fired — a long-standing tradition that began with the Duke of Nizza, who used it as a reminder for his shop-loving wife to come home for lunch.

The Vieux Nice, also known as the Old Town, is in many respects the most colorful area in the whole city. There are lots of small streets that can be wondered for a very long time, most of which end in a shop, or a great place to eat, or an art exhibit. There are lots of pastels that have been used in the paint. Just to make things even more romantic in design, the locals still hang their laundry out across the street on long clotheslines.

Part of the allure of the area comes from the fact that this once was a very poor part of town, so you really get to see a piece of the real city here. There are two main attractions you will also want to check out: the Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate (named after the saint of the town) and the famous Fenocchio ice-cream parlor.

You may also want to visit the Chapelle del’Annonciation, home of a famous local museum that has been built inside an exquisite old 17th-century space. Along the whole way, you will find many good cafés and coffee shops, along with places to buy lots of souvenirs. The southern end of the Old Town is home to the Cours Saleya, which is a marketplace well known for its flowers, fish and produce.

Why You Should Visit:
Almost all aspects of this historic and characterful Old Town are just superb!
Not only is it classically French but also has some unique and/or idiosyncratic features such as in Place Garribaldi.
You can spend more than a few days strolling around and visiting whichever bars take your fancy…

Tip:
It's highly likely that you'll have to book in your preferred choice(s) as the bars and restaurants throughout the area are busy during most of the evening.
Otherwise, do not plan a lot or any of it! Just immerse yourself and indulge.

Saint Francis Market is located in the Saint-Francois Square in the Nice Old Town. There are some interesting old streets off the square with a few restaurants and shops. The boucherie Saint Francois is popular among the local people. The clientele is very particular about how they want their cuts prepared and they always get what they want.

Saint Francois Square is a small square. The architecture of the surrounding buildings remind one of an opera set. It has a busy fish market. It opens every morning at six am except Mondays. The market runs all morning. By afternoon, between the customers and the seagulls it is all over.

The square is being refurbished but this is still a quieter part of the Old Town. Besides fish and meat, other foods are plentiful at lower prices. There are always fresh produce and local specialities like soccar (chickpea crepe), salad nicoise with tuna and anchovy, and pissalidiere (onion, olive and anchovy pizza).

Open: Tuesday–Sunday 6 am to 1 pm (closed on Mondays)

Place Garibaldi, designed by architect Antoine Spinelli and completed in 1773, is one of the oldest and most distinguished squares in Nice. Conceived while the city was still under Sardinian rule, it served as the royal gateway along the route connecting Nice to Turin. Its harmonious proportions and classical layout make it a fine example of 18th-century urban design on the French Riviera.

The square is framed by elegant Baroque-style buildings, three storeys high, painted in warm shades of ochre and terracotta. Their graceful arcades and trompe-l’œil frescoes evoke both the Mediterranean light and the Italian influence of the House of Savoy. At its centre rises the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the celebrated general and native of Nice, who played a defining role in the unification of Italy. The statue, installed in 1891, shows Garibaldi standing proudly atop a pedestal adorned with coats of arms and lions.

Place Garibaldi is intersected by Jean Jaurès Boulevard, Republic Avenue, and Cassini Street, placing it at a crossroads between the old town and the modern city. Around the square stand several landmarks, including the Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher, the historic Turin Café, and the National Theater of Nice, each adding to the square’s rich architectural and cultural landscape.

Beneath the southern end of the square lie traces of Nice’s layered past. An archaeological crypt, accessible from Jean Jaurès Boulevard, reveals remnants of the 16th-century fortifications — including sections of the Pairoliere Tower, the Saint Sebastian Bastion, and the Augustins Suburb. These remains remind visitors that this elegant square once stood at the heart of the city’s defensive walls.